Aluminum Running Boards for Trucks: Weight, Corrosion and Which Listings Really Say Aluminum

A running board is a step mounted below a truck's doors that makes it easier to climb in and out. Calling it aluminum tells you what it is made of, as far as the seller says. It does not tell you whether it fits your truck, how thick the metal is or what it will hold. That is the gap this page deals with.

Fit sheetAd

Brand not in title

Aluminum nerf bars (2019+ Silverado and Sierra)

A textured black aluminum step whose title spells out the 2019 LD exclusion.

Why here: A start, not a pick: the title names the metal and spells out the 2019 LD/LT exclusion, but we read no maker sheet for it.

Fits, according to the listing

Crew Cab ... 2019-2026 Chevy Silverado & GMC Sierra 1500 (Excl 2019 Ld/Lt), 2020-2026 2500 HD 3500 HD (as of November 2, 2026)

Style

Running board / step bar (as titled)

Material

Aluminum (title)

Weight rating

Not stated in the title

Install

Not stated in the title

Price class

Budget

Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Why it makes the list

• Title names the material and excludes the 2019 LD/LT
• Covers 1500 and HD years separately

Watch out for

• No brand in the title
• Listing data only
• No weight rating in the title, so none is printed here

Best for: GM crew cab owners who want aluminum and an explicit LD exclusion on the listing.

Listing data only: We only have the Amazon listing title for this one, no maker sheet. It is an option, not a recommendation.

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We name no overall winner here. Every aluminum listing below is listing data only, so the right start is simply the one that names your truck. If you want a part with a maker sheet behind it and do not care about the metal, go to best running boards.

Which aluminum listing for which truck?

What do you drive?

• If you drive a 2019-up Silverado or Sierra 1500 crew cab, not the 2019 LD/LT → Aluminum nerf bars (2019+ Silverado and Sierra) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: Crew Cab ... 2019-2026 Chevy Silverado & GMC Sierra 1500 (Excl 2019 Ld/Lt), 2020-2026 2500 HD 3500 HD. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive a new-body Ram 1500 crew cab → Aluminum 6" (2019+ Ram 1500) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: 2019-2026 Dodge Ram 1500 New Body Style Crew Cab (Not Fit 2019-2024 1500 Classic). Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive an older-body Ram 1500, a 2019-2024 Classic or a 2010-up 2500/3500 crew cab → Aluminum crew (Ram older body and Classic) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: Crew Cab ... 2009-2018 Dodge Ram 1500, Ram 2019-2024 1500 Classic (New Body Style Not Fit), Ram 2010-2026 2500 3500. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive a 2015-up F-150 SuperCrew or a 2017-up F-250/F-350 Crew Cab → Aluminum (F-150 and Super Duty) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: 2015-2026 Ford F150 F 150, 2017-2026 Ford F250 F350 Super Duty SuperCrew/Crew Cab 4 Full Size Doors. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive a 2005-2023 Tacoma Double Cab → COMNOVA Aluminum (2005-2023 Tacoma) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: 2005-2023 Toyota Tacoma Double/Crew Cab. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive a 2007-2021 Tundra CrewMax → Aluminum 6" (2007-2021 Tundra CrewMax) · Listing data only

  Fits, according to the listing: 2007-2021 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Cab 4 Full Size Doors. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

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• If you drive something else

  All trucks

The listings side by side

Read 2 November 2026. Everything in the "Fits" row is the seller's title wording, and we add nothing to it.

Comparison: Aluminum nerf bars (2019+ Silverado and Sierra), Aluminum crew (Ram older body and Classic), Aluminum (F-150 and Super Duty), COMNOVA Aluminum (2005-2023 Tacoma), Aluminum 6" (2007-2021 Tundra CrewMax)

Spec sheet	Listing data onlyAluminum nerf bars (2019+ Silverado and Sierra)	Budget optionAluminum crew (Ram older body and Classic)	Listing data onlyAluminum (F-150 and Super Duty)	Start here: Tacoma 2005-2023COMNOVA Aluminum (2005-2023 Tacoma)	Start here: Tundra CrewMaxAluminum 6" (2007-2021 Tundra CrewMax)
Fits, according to the listing	Crew Cab ... 2019-2026 Chevy Silverado & GMC Sierra 1500 (Excl 2019 Ld/Lt), 2020-2026 2500 HD 3500 HD	Crew Cab ... 2009-2018 Dodge Ram 1500, Ram 2019-2024 1500 Classic (New Body Style Not Fit), Ram 2010-2026 2500 3500	2015-2026 Ford F150 F 150, 2017-2026 Ford F250 F350 Super Duty SuperCrew/Crew Cab 4 Full Size Doors	2005-2023 Toyota Tacoma Double/Crew Cab	2007-2021 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Cab 4 Full Size Doors
Style	Running board / step bar (as titled)	Running board / step bar (as titled)	Running board / step bar (as titled)	Running board / step bar (as titled)	Running board / step bar (as titled)
Material	Aluminum (title)	Aluminum (title)	Aluminum (title)	Aluminum (title)	Aluminum (title)
Weight rating	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title
Install	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title	Not stated in the title
Price class	Budget	Budget	Budget	Mid-range	Budget
Best for	GM crew cab owners who want aluminum and an explicit LD exclusion on the listing.	Crew cab owners with a 2009-2018 Ram 1500, a 2019-2024 Classic, or a 2010-up 2500/3500.	SuperCrew and Crew owners who want the door count confirmed in writing.	2005-2023 Double Cab owners who want aluminum.	2007-2021 CrewMax owners. Not for the Double Cab.
	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon	On Amazon*(paid link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)Ad · paid link · check price & delivery on Amazon

What aluminum actually buys you

Less metal weight. The density of aluminum is about one-third that of steel, per Wikipedia. That compares the metals and not the boards. A wide aluminum board with heavy brackets may not be light, and no title here states a weight, so we print none. Ford makes the same general pitch for its Super Duty step bars, saying the aluminum tubing keeps weight down, without giving a figure.

A built-in oxide layer. Aluminum forms a thin oxide layer that shields the metal from further corrosion under normal conditions. That is why you see "corrosion-resistant" on Ford's page. It is a real property of the metal, and it has limits.

Not a free pass in salt. The same Wikipedia article says aluminum's corrosion resistance is "greatly reduced by aqueous salts, particularly in the presence of dissimilar metals". Now look at a truck in a salt state: wet road salt, plus steel bolts and maybe steel brackets. Tyger takes that seriously on the 2015-up F-150, where the body panel is the aluminum part. Its sheet for TG-RS6F60118 uses plastic retainers that it says are designed to prevent corrosion between the aluminum panel and the steel brackets.

We found no road-salt data for aluminum running boards and no corrosion measurements on any part here. So we won't tell you an aluminum board outlasts a stainless one. Aluminum vs stainless lays out what can be said, and do running boards rust? covers the wider question.

The listings, one at a time

Silverado and Sierra: textured black with the LD exclusion

The aluminum nerf bars for the 2019-up GM crew cab^* carry the most useful line on this page: "Excl 2019 Ld/Lt". The title lists the 1500 for 2019-2026 and the 2500 HD and 3500 HD for 2020-2026, so it keeps the two year ranges apart. It also names the Sierra 1500, which some other GM titles leave out.

What you do not get is a brand, a width or a maker sheet. Price class: budget. If your truck is a 2019 LD or Limited, this one does not state your truck, and the 2019 Silverado LD page explains the split. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Ram 1500: new body

The 6-inch aluminum step for the new-body Ram^* says "Not Fit 2019-2024 1500 Classic" in the title, and it gives the width. That Classic line matters more than the metal, because Classic and new body are different trucks to these listings. It has no brand and no sheet behind it. Price class: budget. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Ram 1500 Classic and 2500/3500: crew cab

The aluminum crew cab step for the older Ram^* covers a wide range in one title: 2009-2018 Ram 1500, 2019-2024 1500 Classic and 2010-2026 2500 and 3500, with "New Body Style Not Fit". A Quad Cab owner needs the sister listing, not this one. Our pick for that truck remains the Tyger Rider on the Ram 1500 page, because a Tyger sheet backs it up. That sheet warns about drilling on some years, and on this listing nobody has told you either way. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

F-150 and Super Duty

The aluminum step for the F-150 and Super Duty^* reads "SuperCrew/Crew Cab 4 Full Size Doors", which uses Ford's name for each truck and adds the door count. That wording rules out a SuperCab. Compare it with the F-150 lineup if you want a part with a maker sheet. Price class: budget. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Tacoma: COMNOVA

The COMNOVA aluminum board^* is the only aluminum listing here with a brand in the title. It says "Double/Crew Cab", though Toyota's name for this cab is Double. It is our start for this Tacoma generation, not a pick, as we have no maker sheet. The newer Tacoma is a separate block on the Tacoma page. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

Tundra: CrewMax

The 6-inch aluminum step for the Tundra^* spells out "Crewmax Cab 4 Full Size Doors", so a Tundra Double Cab owner should keep looking. No brand and no sheet. Price class: budget. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.

What to check on an aluminum listing

The word itself. Take "aluminum" in a title as the seller's claim. Titles we read give no alloy, no wall thickness and no finish spec beyond "black textured". If the alloy matters to you, ask before you order and get the answer in writing.

Brackets and hardware. The board can be aluminum while the brackets are steel. None of the listings here says what its brackets are made of. Given what salt does where different metals meet, that is a fair question for a seller.

Load. No rating in these titles. Westin states "300 lbs. of weight capacity per side" for its aluminum Pro-e power board, and that covers that part only. How much weight running boards can hold has the longer answer.

Drilling. None of these titles says either way. Read can you install running boards without drilling? before you plan the job.

Mistakes to avoid

• Buying the metal before the truck. The best metal in the world doesn't help if the title names a different cab.
• Reading "aluminum" as "maintenance-free". Wash the salt off in winter and look over the hardware. Tyger recommends periodic inspection of its installs, and it costs you nothing.
• Assuming lighter means weaker, or stronger. Density is about the metal. No listing here gives you enough to compare strength.
• Mixing up premium and aluminum. Ford's factory step bars and Westin's Pro-e power board are aluminum too, and both sit in a higher price class than these listings. OEM vs aftermarket goes through the factory side.

Bottom line

Want aluminum? Take the listing that names your truck and your cab, read the exclusions in the title, and treat everything else as a question for the seller. If you drive a salt state, plan on rinsing the truck whatever the board is made of. If a maker sheet matters more to you than the metal, go back to our overall list. How we read all of this is on how we verify fitment. Check your exact year and cab on the listing before you buy.